European Union: indication of the origin for meat

A number of member States supported the Commission and considers that it would be extremely difficult and very expensive to apply to swine, sheep, goat and poultry meat, rules equivalent to those applicable to beef meat.

Wednesday 18 June 2014 (4 years 9 months 3 days ago)

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During the last meeting of the Council of Agriculture Ministers, the Commission informed the Council about the European Parliament's resolution of 6 February 2014 concerning Commission implementing regulation 1337/2013 laying down rules for the application of mandatory indication of the country of origin or place of provenance for fresh chilled and frozen meat from pigs, sheep, goats and poultry (10857/14).

A number of member States supported the Commission and considers that, unlike what the resolution from the European Parliament states, it would be extremely difficult and very expensive to apply to swine, sheep, goat and poultry meat, rules equivalent to those applicable to beef meat.

When regulation 1169/20111 on food labelling was discussed back in 2010, it was agreed that a mandatory indication of the origin or place of provenance for swine, sheep, goats and poultry unprocessed meat would require further impact assessments. Following that, the Commission would then have to further consider the options for the modalities of expressing the origin of those foods, in particular with respect to the place of birth, the place of rearing and the place of slaughter of the animals. In this respect, regulation 1169/2011 mandated the Commission to adopt the necessary rules by implementing acts. On this basis, the Commission adopted the implementing regulation 1337/2013 2, providing for the compulsory indication of the Member State or third country of « rearing » and « slaughter » of the animals.

In a resolution adopted on 6 February 2014, the European Parliament, considered that the Commission exceeded the implementing powers conferred under Regulation 1169/2011 and called on the Commission to draw up a new regulation, applying to the concerned foods exactly the same rules existing in the legislation applicable to beef meat: indication of places of birth, rearing and slaughter and excluding any derogation for minced meat and trimmings.